SCIENCE. 
35 
EVOLUTION OF LOCOMOTIVES IN AMERICA. 
The question of priority in the use of the locomotive on 
railroads in this country is one of perennial interest. The 
literature on the vexed subject cemprises volumes. For the 
seven cities of Greece, which claim the honor of the birth- 
place of Homer, we have had almost as many States claim- 
ing the honorable distinction of first introducing the locomo- 
tive engine for service on the railroad. The idea of apply- 
ing steam as the motive power on railroads had occurred to 
many of our engineers, stimulated as they were doubtless 
by the successful practice of England ; and the introduction 
of the locomotive by Pennsylvania and South Carolina was 
almost synchronous ; yet the former is fairly entitled to the 
distinction of priority, 
Fortunately there is now living in San Francisco one of 
the veteran railroad men of the country, who is absolutely 
familiar with the interesting incidents of the early history of 
the railroad and the locomotive engine in this country. 
The testimony adduced from these intelligent and trust- 
worthy sources is absolutely conclusive ; and it would seem 
that it ought to end the controversy about the claim to 
priority in the first practical use of the locomotive engine in 
this country. 
r. The first locomotive engine placed and tried on any 
railroad in America was called the “Stourbridge Lion,” and 
was imported from England for the Delaware and Hudson 
canal and railroad company. This engine arrived in New 
York May 17, 1829, and was set up in the yard of the West 
Point foundry machine shops and publicly exhibited for 
days to thousands of the first citizens of the country. It 
was brought from England by Horatio Allen, who made the 
first experimental trial of it at Honesdale, on the banks of 
Lackawaxen creek, Pa., August 8, 1829, when he “opened 
the throttle valve of the locomotive engine that turned the 
first driving wheel on an American railroad.” This highly 
interesting statement was made by Mr. Allen in a speech 
delivered at Dunkirk on the occasion of the celebration of 
the New York and Erie railroad. 
2. The first locomotive built in America for a purely ex- 
perimental purpose was the “ Tom Thumb,” which was con- 
structed by the now venerable Peter Cooper. This little 
machine was built for the purpose of testing the feasibility 
of a locomotive sustaining itself while running over curves, 
which was a mooted point among the engineers and scien- 
tists of that day. The engine weighed less than a ton, the 
cylinder was only three and a half inches in diameter, the 
boiler was about as “ large as an ordinary kitchen boiler,” 
and was vertical, with gun barrels for tubes. The first trial 
was made on the Baltimore and Ohio railroad, from the de- 
pot at Baltimore to Ellicott’s mills, August 28, 1830. 
3. The first locomotive built in America for actual service 
on a railroad was called the “ Best Friend,” and was con- 
structed for the Charleston and Augusta railroad company. 
This pioneeer locomotive was built at the West Point foun- 
dry machine shops in New York City, and the work of fit- 
ting it up fell to the lot of Mr. Matthew. Immediately after 
the engine was completed it was placed on the company’s 
road, and the first experiment with a train was made Novem- 
ber 2, 1830, N. W. Darrell acting as engineer. 
Some few days previous to the above date, or about the 
20th of October, in accordance with a notice given in the 
Charleston papers, a public trial was made without any cars 
attached. It was on this occasion that the first American 
built locomotive turned its wheels for the first time on a 
railroad track. At the trial on November 2d the wooden 
wheels of the machine, which were constructed after the 
English practice, sprung and got off the track ; but they were 
replaced by cast iron wheels, and on December 14th and 
15th the engine was again tried and ran at the rate of 16 to 
21 miles an hour with five cars carrying about 50 passengers, 
and without the cars it attained a speed of 30 to 35 miles an 
hour. In the Charleston Courier , March 12, 1831, there is 
an account of a later trial of speed of the “Best Friend,” 
on which occasion, the writer remarks : “ Safety was assured 
by the introduction of a barrier car, on which cotton was 
piled up as a rampart between the locomotive and the pas- 
senger cars.” The second locomotive for service built in 
this country was called the “ West Point,” and was for the 
same road. It was also constructed at the West Point ma- 
chine shops. 
4. The first locomotive built in America for a northern 
road was called the “ De Witt Clinton,” and was the third 
American locomotive. It was for actual service on the 
Mohawk and Hudson railroad. This engine, like the 
others, was built at the West Point machine-shops, and 
was also fitted up by Mr. Matthew; and when it was com- 
pleted he took it to Albany, June 25, 1831, and made the 
first excursion with a train of cars over the road August 9, 
1831. According to Mr. Matthew’s statement, the “ De 
Witt Clinton ” weighed y/ z tons, and hauled a train of 3 
and 5 cars at the speed of 30 miles an hour. It is especially 
noteworthy that both the cab and the tender of the “ De 
Witt Clinton ” were covered to protect the engineer from 
the weather — a “ happy thought ” of honest David Matthew, 
for which all American engineers at least ought to hold 
him in kind remembrance. About the middle of August 
the English locomotive, “Robert Fulton,” built by the 
younger Stephenson, arrived and was placed on the Mohawk 
and Hudson road for service in the middle of the following 
September. 
These locomotives had been used and fairly tested both 
on the southern and northern railroads, and the necessity 
for a radical change in their construction had become 
evident. Very soon John B. Jervis devised the plan of 
putting the truck under the forward part of the engine to 
enable it to turn sharp corners easily and safely. The ma- 
chine so constructed was called the “bogie” engine. The 
first of these engines ever built was for the Mohawk and 
Hudson road, and was called the “Experiment.” It was 
put on the road and ran by Matthew, who says it was as 
“ fleet as a greyhound. The “ Experiment ” had been built 
to burn anthracite coal solely ; after a while it was rebuilt 
and adapted to the use of any kind of coal, and its name 
was changed to the “Brother Jonathan.” Shortly after 
these changes had been made the English locomotive 
“ Robert Fulton,” belonging to the same company, was 
also rebuilt and furnished with the truck, and named the 
“ John Bull.” The “ Brother Jonathan ” was a remarkable 
machine for those pioneer days. Mr. Matthew says of it: 
“ With this engine I have crossed the Mohawk and Hudson 
railroad from plane to plane, 14 miles, in 13 minutes, stop- 
ping once for water. I have tried her speed upon a level, 
straight line, and have run a mile in 45 seconds by the 
watch. She was the fastest and steadiest engine I have 
ever run or seen, and I worked her with the greatest ease.” 
This is certainly wonderful speed, and may be, as Matthew 
earnestly maintains it is, the fastest time at least on the 
American railroad record. 
In comparison to the splendid and efficient engine of to- 
day, our first locomotives, built after the English model 
mainly, were clumsy and crude machines. Since then our 
improvements have been manifold and extraordinary, and 
the American locomotive is now pronounced the most “ per- 
fect railroad tool in the world.” Its exquisite symmetry 
and flexibility, and its extraordinary powers must fill the 
mind of a veteran like Matthews — who has watched its 
growth from its infancy in this country — with feelings of 
generous admiration and pride. The English and American 
railroads and locomotives are strikingly contrasted by a 
writer in Hamper' s Magazine for March, 1879. English roads 
are short, solid, straight and level, and laid with the best 
rails in the world ; and their massive and powerful, and 
rigid-framed engines are thoroughly adopted to those per- 
fect roads. On the contrary, the American road is generally 
of great length, and being necessarily cheap it “goes as you 
please.” Over these eccentric roads the American locomo- 
tive adjusts itself to every change of level both across and 
along the line ; it takes curves that would be impossible for 
the rigid English engine ; and, finally, it runs over a crazy 
track, up hill and down, in perfect safety. It has been well 
said that all that the English engine can do on a perfect road 
the American engine will do ; and much more than this, it 
will do work on any road, however rough, hilly, curved and 
cheap. The name of the first American locomotive seems to 
have been inspired, for it has in the largest sense proved 
our “Best Friend.” — Cal. Scientific Press. 
